If you go back and rewatch the first scenes with Glory, you will notice that she is constantly throwing around remarks that hint at her divine/infernal status. It is really hilarious in hindsight.
Buffy finally puts her foot down!! And it was as epic as expected I love how everyone treats Buffy as an object this episode...someone to get something from. Then she realizes why and turns the tables. One of the best Buffy moments (episode!) in the series
I really don't think they wanted her to live to the age of 20. I have come up with a theory that the so called test that they put the slayer through on her 18th birthday is actually just a way for the council to kill off the slayer and get a new more controllable slayer called because as the slayer ages, she eventually will split off from the council to lead her own life.
You are not alone there, that the real reason behind the Tento di Cruciamentum is to kill off Slayers that have live to be 18 (or to make them so traumatized that they never get to go against the council) is something I would say the vast amount of fans is sure of.
Man.....buffy is my favorite heroine of all time. Her compassion....and who she is.....there's no fiction character quite like her at all. Sarah plays the hell out of that part.
I love how worried you were about willow and tara since it's a 90s show but this show was really ahead of its time in many respects. Willow and tara being acknowledged and done right was extremely ahead of its time when this show aired
This is definitely one of the most interesting episodes for me, Buffy is so cool when she stands up to the council. A very kick ass moment. And Glory and Ben... well, you'll be surprised.
Contains one of the greatest scenes in the whole show when Buffy had the showdown with The Council. She just has no time for their stuck up nonsense, and the arrogant Quentin Travers, and tells them who holds the real power. The sword throwing is excellent. We of course get the reveal about who Glory really is, and that this Big Bad is somewhat different from what they have faced before. S5 just gets better and better. A great feeling when Travers has to accept Buffy's terms.
This episode, especially in her monologue, proved to me Buffy fully encompassed herself as THE Slayer! And the final moments? Game-changing! I love it, and love seeing everyone's reaction!! And Glory is just that kind of unhinged evil that you love to hate and hate to love. She is that good.
@@jp3813I understand that. But the original comment dhaem made said "they're screwed" and you're reply indicated that if they are atheist then they are not. And that's what I was referring to. An atheist doesn't believe in any God. But how would not believing in Glory have helped? They were still screwed whether they believed in her or not
@@reneeg9406 A god is usually seen as unbeatable and meant to be worshiped. Season 5's finale proved otherwise. Even Xander got a hit in. Might as well just call her an uberdemon.
The interrogation montage in ‘Checkpoint’ is one of the highlights for Season 5 to me. Again, the creators use that clever written and directive styling choice where sets of characters are in a different time and place but they’re talking about the same or similar subject and are finishing each other’s sentences without even realizing it. Which serves to continually build on the narrative theme of the episode. This time the narrative theme being whether Buffy’s friends are too powerless or incompetent to help her in her Slayer duties. The Council interrogates to try to find the weak points in the Scooby Gang and get them to admit their flaws and mistakes to shake them down. Asking Xander/Anya and Willow/Tara whether they actually provide anything of use or value to the Slayer. And it made me wonder what these interrogations would have been like without Anya or Tara there. If Anya and Tara weren’t with them, Xander and Willow would probably put their foot in their mouths in answering the questions because they’re commonly the two people that are insecure about their own usefulness or valuableness to the Slayer. But with Anya and Tara (the respective lovers),… there’s a solid defensive/protective wall around them. You could see that Willow was starting to sink into her self-doubt with the babbling and fumbling around her own words - and Tara steps in to save her from drowning. And then with Xander, Nigel was putting words into his mouth, not giving him a chance to respond back and he was starting to fall, he was losing his balance - then Anya attempts to provide some support for him. So just like how the Slayer being alone would make her significantly weaker, Xander and Willow would also be significantly weaker without Anya and Tara. Add in Giles… the Mind and the voice of reason… This means that in Season 5, the Scooby Gang is at its strongest in fighting the good fight. And all of it, ALL OF IT…. Is without the Council’s “help”. So Buffy was right. They came to beg for her back because it is them who are absolutely powerless without the Slayer. And specifically - a Slayer with her own army. A great episode. One of the highlights of Season 5 and that’s saying something because Season 5 is easily the best season of the show to me.
This episode is simple....... BADASS BUFFY! This girl has attributes as big as her heart, and and far greater than those of any member of the Council! Yep, Glory is a God! Surprise? And now the really important question: how can our Scoobies defeat a God?
If it wasn't for Xander resuscitating Buffy way back in 1x12 Buffy would be dead and we would not Faith. He's saved the group many many times but rarely gets credit for it.
I'm sorry but you're mistaken. Xander resuscitating Buffy was a good thing, BUT Kendra became a Slayer because Buffy died (albeit briefly); it didn't matter if Xander saved Buffy or not. And Faith came about because Kendra died; therefore, Faith would still become a Slayer. However, Xander often doesn't get the credit he deserves!
@@richvaman1823 by whom? The scoobies rarely acknowledge Xander's contributions. And this fandom spends more time condemning him than appreciating him.
@@nicamarie946 within the show, xander is both underappreciated and undercondemned, and it is natural that the fandom compensates for both. if xander faced more consequences in-show, then fewer fans would be irritated with him.
Im 8 months late but spoilers for new buffy watchers: I never thought about how jonathans spell created a demon to maintain balance and when buffy ressurects a demon is created from her as a dark balance and ben is (at first) a good mortal man , the most explicit ying and yang metaphor
Checkpoint as a 'Groundhogday'-style episode, well, this would have been funny but i'm sure you're not dissapointed about being wrong, cause this is a superdense episode, Counsil, Glory, Ben, Spike, the Summers, the Knights, all in one with this huge reveal in the end. Something different: Where is your dog🐕? I've seen Megan Leavey moments ago. If you don't know this movie, you should watch and react to it (currently aviable on RUclips and Amazon). I think you will like it.
You're German, nicht war? I have many Entshuldigungs since you've never responded to me I'm hoping you consider 15+16 Episodes of Buffy as a Special Event
The climax to this episode doesn't save a drowning episode (it isn't drowning before that, fans are just annoyed and pissed off at The Watchers Council to the point where it can feel that way), but it helps with the annoyance the audience has been feeling towards them all episode because Buffy puts them in their place before they finally reveal the important information.
I mean, it's not like the Council give people much reason to like them. They're willing to resort to all sorts of horrible measures to retain control over the Slayer and invented rituals like the Cruciamentum to keep the Slayer in line or kill her and replace her with a more compliant one, but they don't think to pay the Slayer's living expenses or a fee, even though it's confirmed in an episode of Angel that the Council basically has infinite money and it would be an excellent way to keep the Slayer in line - "do what we say or we stop paying your rent." They're a big part of the reason that Slayers have such a short lifespan. The current system underpinning the Slayer lore, which effectively feeds an endless supply of teenage girls into a grinder to prevent humanity from losing a war it can never truly win, suits them. It allows them to retain control over the Slayer.
10/10 love seeing buffy kicking ass
Love your Buffyverse reviews, as well as your, you and Thor movie co-reviews. Just curious, how many reviewers are you currently viewing?
Lexi may I know your nationality? Your accent is soooo lovely.
Ben didn't say he's taken care of Glory his whole life, he said he's been cleaning up her mess his whole life
Which could be part of taking care of her, but it's not like he was breastfeeding her.
@@godmagnus
someone is now drawing that as we speak and i blame you.
@@sirmoonslosthismind And the person drawing that now would be me.
@@sirmoonslosthismind 😂
Everything Anya says in this episode is hilarious. Emma Caulfield is a treasure.
Willow's a demon?!
„Spike had a Fan?“
Are you REALY surprised? 😄
The fangirl and her thesis is one of my favorite bits from this episode.
If you go back and rewatch the first scenes with Glory, you will notice that she is constantly throwing around remarks that hint at her divine/infernal status. It is really hilarious in hindsight.
Little Marshmallows, Passions and an axe to the head. Joyce and Spike are great.
Even among the Watchers Spike has his fan girls.
1) Joyce and Spike are the best. I want to join their book club.
2) Glory is my favorite Big Bad. Although the Mayor and Faith are my favorite combo
Buffy: throws sword!
Me: That was excellent!
Xander: That was excellent!
Buffy finally puts her foot down!! And it was as epic as expected
I love how everyone treats Buffy as an object this episode...someone to get something from. Then she realizes why and turns the tables. One of the best Buffy moments (episode!) in the series
I really don't think they wanted her to live to the age of 20. I have come up with a theory that the so called test that they put the slayer through on her 18th birthday is actually just a way for the council to kill off the slayer and get a new more controllable slayer called because as the slayer ages, she eventually will split off from the council to lead her own life.
Unfortunately for them, killing Buffy would no longer result in another slayer being called.
@@jp3813 Even if she had died during that test which took place after Faith had been called.
You are not alone there, that the real reason behind the Tento di Cruciamentum is to kill off Slayers that have live to be 18 (or to make them so traumatized that they never get to go against the council) is something I would say the vast amount of fans is sure of.
Yeah I've always thought that too
Man.....buffy is my favorite heroine of all time. Her compassion....and who she is.....there's no fiction character quite like her at all. Sarah plays the hell out of that part.
@12:30 was the paper she wrote about Spike a...
Marsters Thesis?
Bwahahahah! Ok bye now.
I love how worried you were about willow and tara since it's a 90s show but this show was really ahead of its time in many respects. Willow and tara being acknowledged and done right was extremely ahead of its time when this show aired
This is definitely one of the most interesting episodes for me, Buffy is so cool when she stands up to the council. A very kick ass moment. And Glory and Ben... well, you'll be surprised.
Contains one of the greatest scenes in the whole show when Buffy had the showdown with The Council. She just has no time for their stuck up nonsense, and the arrogant Quentin Travers, and tells them who holds the real power. The sword throwing is excellent. We of course get the reveal about who Glory really is, and that this Big Bad is somewhat different from what they have faced before. S5 just gets better and better. A great feeling when Travers has to accept Buffy's terms.
Best reaction ever to the Council. I suppose everyone feels the same way about them but you express it best.
This episode, especially in her monologue, proved to me Buffy fully encompassed herself as THE Slayer! And the final moments? Game-changing! I love it, and love seeing everyone's reaction!! And Glory is just that kind of unhinged evil that you love to hate and hate to love. She is that good.
Buffy in a Groundhogday episode? That’s actually a great idea…
Theoretically, anyway
One of buffys best speeches
"Burn the world down" feels like an appropriate reaction to the institution that is the Watcher's Council honestly lol
"A god"
That's actually a totally different weight class. They're screwed.
Unless they're atheists.
@@jp3813 you don't have to believe in something for it to be real 🤷♀️
@@reneeg9406 Believing is one thing, being screwed is another. The sun is real, but it used to be considered as a god.
@@jp3813I understand that. But the original comment dhaem made said "they're screwed" and you're reply indicated that if they are atheist then they are not. And that's what I was referring to. An atheist doesn't believe in any God. But how would not believing in Glory have helped? They were still screwed whether they believed in her or not
@@reneeg9406 A god is usually seen as unbeatable and meant to be worshiped. Season 5's finale proved otherwise. Even Xander got a hit in. Might as well just call her an uberdemon.
The interrogation montage in ‘Checkpoint’ is one of the highlights for Season 5 to me. Again, the creators use that clever written and directive styling choice where sets of characters are in a different time and place but they’re talking about the same or similar subject and are finishing each other’s sentences without even realizing it. Which serves to continually build on the narrative theme of the episode. This time the narrative theme being whether Buffy’s friends are too powerless or incompetent to help her in her Slayer duties. The Council interrogates to try to find the weak points in the Scooby Gang and get them to admit their flaws and mistakes to shake them down. Asking Xander/Anya and Willow/Tara whether they actually provide anything of use or value to the Slayer.
And it made me wonder what these interrogations would have been like without Anya or Tara there. If Anya and Tara weren’t with them, Xander and Willow would probably put their foot in their mouths in answering the questions because they’re commonly the two people that are insecure about their own usefulness or valuableness to the Slayer. But with Anya and Tara (the respective lovers),… there’s a solid defensive/protective wall around them. You could see that Willow was starting to sink into her self-doubt with the babbling and fumbling around her own words - and Tara steps in to save her from drowning. And then with Xander, Nigel was putting words into his mouth, not giving him a chance to respond back and he was starting to fall, he was losing his balance - then Anya attempts to provide some support for him.
So just like how the Slayer being alone would make her significantly weaker, Xander and Willow would also be significantly weaker without Anya and Tara.
Add in Giles… the Mind and the voice of reason…
This means that in Season 5, the Scooby Gang is at its strongest in fighting the good fight. And all of it, ALL OF IT…. Is without the Council’s “help”. So Buffy was right. They came to beg for her back because it is them who are absolutely powerless without the Slayer. And specifically - a Slayer with her own army.
A great episode. One of the highlights of Season 5 and that’s saying something because Season 5 is easily the best season of the show to me.
I never noticed this. Thanks so good.
Making Dawn a totally normal girl without superpowers is the best next thing beside her popping up on the credits before we even know who she was.
13:19 Note to self: Don't ever get on Lexi's bad side 😨😬
Let’s hope she never become a Vampire 🧛🏻♀️ or like Anyanka 😅
15:15 The Sheer JOY of them together! Love the reaction as always.
I feel like Giles has been here long enough to apply for citizenship.
But note that if the council has the power and influence to get him deported immediately, they also have the power and influence to get that denied.
@@Logan_Baron he should have done it S05E02, after he saw that Buffy still needed him, and it was his 5th year. Unless it was his 4th.
This episode is simple....... BADASS BUFFY!
This girl has attributes as big as her heart, and and far greater than those of any member of the Council!
Yep, Glory is a God! Surprise?
And now the really important question: how can our Scoobies defeat a God?
buffy is the boss of buffy :)
They already did an episode where everyone died, not repeatedly, but every did die, The Wish.
LOL your reaction at 9:12 almost as Buffy's.
If it wasn't for Xander resuscitating Buffy way back in 1x12 Buffy would be dead and we would not Faith. He's saved the group many many times but rarely gets credit for it.
I'm sorry but you're mistaken. Xander resuscitating Buffy was a good thing, BUT Kendra became a Slayer because Buffy died (albeit briefly); it didn't matter if Xander saved Buffy or not. And Faith came about because Kendra died; therefore, Faith would still become a Slayer. However, Xander often doesn't get the credit he deserves!
@@richvaman1823 by whom? The scoobies rarely acknowledge Xander's contributions. And this fandom spends more time condemning him than appreciating him.
@@nicamarie946
within the show, xander is both underappreciated and undercondemned, and it is natural that the fandom compensates for both. if xander faced more consequences in-show, then fewer fans would be irritated with him.
"Is this going to be an episode where the day repeats?" 👀
05:29 Must be Tuesday. 😂
If anyone is aware of the controversy over Joss Whedon, he's actually a lot like the head master of the watcher's counsel.
Im 8 months late but spoilers for new buffy watchers:
I never thought about how jonathans spell created a demon to maintain balance and when buffy ressurects a demon is created from her as a dark balance and ben is (at first) a good mortal man , the most explicit ying and yang metaphor
I don't think the council took Xander seriously when he said that they merged with Buffy so they just ignored it.
14:18 Glory was really scary in this entire scene
Checkpoint as a 'Groundhogday'-style episode, well, this would have been funny but i'm sure you're not dissapointed about being wrong, cause this is a superdense episode, Counsil, Glory, Ben, Spike, the Summers, the Knights, all in one with this huge reveal in the end.
Something different: Where is your dog🐕? I've seen Megan Leavey moments ago. If you don't know this movie, you should watch and react to it (currently aviable on RUclips and Amazon). I think you will like it.
Anybody else giggle about the whole Thug Life, Groundhog Day and trying to convince us she's not a sadist?
Convincing Giles to not be British anymore? A goddess does not sound so difficult now in comparison ...
Okay, hear me out: a RUclips channel with Spike and Joyce doing reactions to Passion.
I LOVE Glory. She is the best Bad in the show. She just wants to go home! She doesn't care about the slayer, world domination, Hellmouths.
Great ep and great reaction. Very fun watchin you react to this ep, thanks :) :) :) OMG looking forward for more of your Buffy reactions
Thelexicrowd looks weirdly like Sandra Bullock in this episode.
Yeah, i love this episode, too.
03:25 yeah that would be interesting...
Must be Tuesday
the council is jealous of Buffy's team.
5:29 must be Tuesday
If you like Buffy you'll love doctor who, the ninties star trek (tng, deep space 9 & voyager) and Community
Makes sense that she's a god, though - the crusty acolytes are kind of like monks or priests.
What is Ben? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
You're German, nicht war? I have many Entshuldigungs since you've never responded to me
I'm hoping you consider 15+16 Episodes of Buffy as a Special Event
Ooh can u do another collaboration reaction with thor reacts
The climax to this episode doesn't save a drowning episode (it isn't drowning before that, fans are just annoyed and pissed off at The Watchers Council to the point where it can feel that way), but it helps with the annoyance the audience has been feeling towards them all episode because Buffy puts them in their place before they finally reveal the important information.
I freely admit, I always skip to the final scene of this one.
Much like Buffy people hate the council righttttttt up until they need something.
I mean, it's not like the Council give people much reason to like them. They're willing to resort to all sorts of horrible measures to retain control over the Slayer and invented rituals like the Cruciamentum to keep the Slayer in line or kill her and replace her with a more compliant one, but they don't think to pay the Slayer's living expenses or a fee, even though it's confirmed in an episode of Angel that the Council basically has infinite money and it would be an excellent way to keep the Slayer in line - "do what we say or we stop paying your rent." They're a big part of the reason that Slayers have such a short lifespan. The current system underpinning the Slayer lore, which effectively feeds an endless supply of teenage girls into a grinder to prevent humanity from losing a war it can never truly win, suits them. It allows them to retain control over the Slayer.
Nope she and they still hate them even then. That's like saying "People only hate the DMV until they need their license".